Table of Contents

Detroit Area Study, 1984: The Process of Mate Choice and Nuptiality in Detroit (ICPSR 9306)

Principal Investigator(s):
Whyte, Martin K.

Summary:

This Detroit Area Study was primarily concerned with
investigating the process of mate choice over time and the impact of
mate choice experiences on marital success. To this end, the survey
questioned ever-married women about their dating and mate choice
history, marital history, and satisfaction with and problems in
existing marriages. Respondents were questioned about the steady
boyfriends they had before their first marriage and whether they
seriously considered marrying another man before they married their
first husband. Women who answered in the affirmative to the latter were
queried about the race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic characteristics of
the man they had most seriously considered marrying before marrying
their first husband, how long they went out together, and how the
relationship broke off. Questions on the respondent's first marriage
covered such things as how and where the respondent first met her
husband, her age when they met, how long they were engaged, whether or
not they lived together before marrying, whether she had doubts or
sought advice about the decision to marry before the wedding, and
whether her parents or her husband's parents approved or disapproved of
the marriage. Women were also questioned about their career
expectations before their first marriage, the religion and
socioeconomic status of their first husband, and the date, place, and
size of the wedding celebration as well as living arrangements in the
first six months of marriage. Questions on the current or most recent
marriage covered topics such as the marital division of labor,
child-rearing practices and values, friendships shared with the
husband, and satisfaction and and interaction with the husband,
including the degree of communication, affection shown, disagreements,
and physical abuse. Additional information gathered by the survey
includes number children ever born, number of stepchildren and
adoptions, and the age, race, ethnicity, education, religion,
religiosity, employment status, occupation, and early family background
of the respondent.

This Detroit Area Study was primarily concerned with
investigating the process of mate choice over time and the impact of
mate choice experiences on marital success. To this end, the survey
questioned ever-married women about their dating and mate choice
history, marital history, and satisfaction with and problems in
existing marriages. Respondents were questioned about the steady
boyfriends they had before their first marriage and whether they
seriously considered marrying another man before they married their
first husband. Women who answered in the affirmative to the latter were
queried about the race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic characteristics of
the man they had most seriously considered marrying before marrying
their first husband, how long they went out together, and how the
relationship broke off. Questions on the respondent's first marriage
covered such things as how and where the respondent first met her
husband, her age when they met, how long they were engaged, whether or
not they lived together before marrying, whether she had doubts or
sought advice about the decision to marry before the wedding, and
whether her parents or her husband's parents approved or disapproved of
the marriage. Women were also questioned about their career
expectations before their first marriage, the religion and
socioeconomic status of their first husband, and the date, place, and
size of the wedding celebration as well as living arrangements in the
first six months of marriage. Questions on the current or most recent
marriage covered topics such as the marital division of labor,
child-rearing practices and values, friendships shared with the
husband, and satisfaction and and interaction with the husband,
including the degree of communication, affection shown, disagreements,
and physical abuse. Additional information gathered by the survey
includes number children ever born, number of stepchildren and
adoptions, and the age, race, ethnicity, education, religion,
religiosity, employment status, occupation, and early family background
of the respondent.

Dataset(s)

Study Description

Citation

Whyte, Martin K. Detroit Area Study, 1984: The Process of Mate Choice and Nuptiality in Detroit. ICPSR09306-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1990. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09306.v1

Universe:
Ever-married women between the ages of 18 and 75 residing
in housing units located in the Michigan counties of Wayne, Macomb, or
Oakland.

Data Type(s):
survey data

Methodology

Sample:
Multistage area probability sample of households. Within
each sampled household, one respondent was selected at random from all
eligible women.

Data Source:

personal interviews

Restrictions: In order to preserve respondent confidentiality,
certain identifying variables are restricted from general
dissemination. Aggregations of this information for statistical
purposes that preserve the anonymity of individual respondents can be
obtained from ICPSR in accordance with existing servicing policies.